St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-21
GALLANT MANS SAD END.
Lieut.. DanenhOwer, the Arctic Eek.
plOrer, Takes His own Life While
Insane,

Lieut.. DanenhoWer, the Arctic Eek.
plorer, Takes His own Life While
Insane.
ANNAPOLIS. Nd, April 20.-Lieut. John
w. Danenhower, of Arctic fame, was dis
covered at 10 o'clock this morning near by
his quarters at the naval academy with a
bullet hole in his right temple. A tag tied
10 his button hole said: "Send to my
brother at Washington" Although he
has had 10 mental troubles since he re-
turned from the Arctic regions, what i'm
mediately led to the suicide is thought to
have been the recent grounding of the
Constellation on its way to Norfolk, which
he had charge of. He was a son-in-law of
Senator Sloan, of OSwego. His wife and
two children are there. The father of the
lieutenant said in conversation tonight that
his son was treated for melancholy some
years ago and speedily recovered Since
then there has never been, to his knOwl-
edge any appearance or apprehension of
any mentalunsoundness in him until to-day.
The remains of Danenhower will be taken
to Washington tomorrow for burial.
Lieut.. Danenhower'S career was eventful,
and his sutferlngs OH the Inflated Jeanette
Arctic expedition are even now fresh in the
public mind. He was born about 81 years
ago in Illinois. and entered the naval service
in 1866. He was attached to the United States
steam ship Vandalia during her cruise in the
Mediterranean in 1857, when G rant and his
family was on board and visited the Holy
Land. 1t was before the cruise that the lieu
tenant, through his conduct, began to show
signs of an unbalanced mind, aud
his malady soon assumed form
so violent that in the year 1875,
after he had been found wandering in North
Carolina wilderness, his friends deemed it eX-
pedient to secure proper treatment for him
by combining him for about two months in the
st. Elizabeth insane asylum in this district.
He was among the first of the officers who
volunteered to go upon the Jeanette Arctic
expedition. sent out by James Gordon Bennett.
On July l, 1879. the Jeanette sailed from San
Francisco on Il north polar expedition by way
of Behring's straits. The expedition was
under the command of Lieut.-Com-
mander George w. belong, assisted by
Engineer Melville. The last communication
from the vessel was dated Cape Tertze
Kamen, Siberia, Sept. 2, 1879, although she
was afterwards seen off Wrangel Land, in
about II , north latitude. The crushing of
the Jeanette in the pack ice, the scpara-
ton in gale of the three boats containing
the officers and crews, the starvation of Com
mander belong and the boats crew. the loss
OF Lieut.. Chips boat and the terrible suf-
feringS ard final rescue of Melville'S party,
are matters OF history. In the final Separa-
ton of the boats belong placed Danen-
hover under Melville'S command for the
reason, as the lieutenant said in his report,
that he was partially disabled by the con-
diton of his eyes. Naval officers, how
ever, maintain that it was to Danen-
hower's fine seamanship and skillful handling
of the whale boat, Notwithstanding his partial
blindness, that the safe landing of the crew
was due. Melville and Danenhower were the
only surviving officers of the expedition. When
Lieut.. Danenhower returned to the United
States in 1882 he was placed on waiting orders
during the progress of the official inquiry into
the loss of the Jeanette, and afterwards was
granted u years leave of absence. During
this time he delivereda number of lectures in
different parts of the country. He was mar
riedin New York while on leave OF absence.
and has left wife and two children. In Sep
TENDER, 1884, he was assigned to duty at An
napoliS as assistant commander of cadets.
which station he held at the time of his
death.